Ex-Wema Bank staff sentenced to 12 years for currency laundry

Ex-Wema Bank staff sentenced to 12 years for currency laundry

dirty-nairaFor participating with others to steal and conceal mutilated and dirty naira notes amounting to N8 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), a former banker has landed himself for 12 years in jail.

A Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, sentenced a former Wema Bank staff, Ademola Oni, to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy and money laundering.

EFCC had arraigned Mr. Oni  with six other officials of CBN plus 15 others from different commercial banks on allegation of conspiracy and money laundering.

Oni, who was the fourth defendant in the case, entered into a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC.

At the hearing Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Adeniyi  Adebisi, presented the perfected agreement and an amended charge to the court against Oni who subsequently pleaded guilty to five of the 24 amended count charges.

In his ruling, Justice Joyce Abudmalik convicted Mr. Oni, and sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy and money laundering. He is to forfeit all his properties and cash in various banks as proceeds of the crime. The sentence was for two and half years on each of the five-count charges and they are to run concurrently.